


dum vita est, spes est

by QueenPunk



Category: Bleach
Genre: Animals AU, F/M, Graphic Violence, IRBB, Inspired by the novel Felidae by Akif Pirincci, Multi, but very loosely, literal fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-02 08:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10213223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenPunk/pseuds/QueenPunk
Summary: In a different universe, Ichigo is a young house cat who experiences a wake-up call when a monstrous being brutally attacks his family. Rukia is a stray who stumbles upon the scene and selflessly saves the family. The two of them try to navigate their tentative relationship while questioning their places in the world as a sinister plan begins to unfurl in Karakura.





	1. ---------------------------------------------Part I: Amor fati---------------------------------------------

A full moon hung heavy and low over the bustling city. The yellow lights from apartments and office buildings gleamed, replacing the absent stars in the black sky. Even at such a late hour, the noises of the city--car horns in the streets, people chattering in restaurants, footsteps in darkened alleyways--persisted. Yet, in a small, tucked away corner of this bustling urbanity the sounds were hushed in an expectant holding of breath, as if waiting for a story to unfold once again.

In a flash, a lithe black silhouette obscured the center of the moon, balancing precariously on a fefingerst. The creature lifted its muzzle, scenting the air and observing the lay of the land with pricked ears and reflective violet eyes. The glowing eyes narrowed as a new scent--a dangerous scent, reeking of iron and ditch water--permeated the still night. 

A swallowtail butterfly danced in the pillars of moonlight, spiralling down the street that stretched ahead with lazy wing strokes. On quick paws the creature bounded after the butterfly, unknowingly on the trail of an unravelling destiny.  
\------------------------  
Under the fluorescent streetlights, a bright orange tom cat raced home. He had stayed out later than he had planned, perusing the park with his friends and getting into their usual bouts of mischief. 

He effortlessly leaped over a garden wall, slipping a little on the damp grass as he landed on the other side before he continued on with his breakneck speed. The drive to get home before his father ate all of his food or he was locked out again by that spiteful she-witch that owned him. The tom cat used his momentum to reach the final stretch of his shortcut--an interwoven fence system that he could race along the top of until he reached the road where the clinic was located.

The dark cubicles of backyards and gardens occasionally broke in their silence with a flurry of barking and insults and flashes of white fangs that snapped seconds after orange paws lighted onto the surface of the cement. Aside from his puffed up fur and disgruntled scowl, he paid their attentions no mind. He was used to it. Their slurs and threatening jaws couldn’t reach him anymore. 

The lights in the clinic were still on--a good sign that he hadn’t been locked out--as he landed on the black asphalt. He paused in front of the building, catching his breath and stretching his spine casually. The blue-toned lights that hung on either side of the neighboring houses flickered, buzzing as moths and junebugs were ensnared in the transfixing deathtrap. 

As he approached the door, his head swivelled to watch with wide eyes as a large, black, thin membrane of a wing fell from the buzzlight. The ragged edges caught the light as it descended, eerily highlighting the torn ends and shining through decomposing center. The veins shimmered and creeped over the thin surface like shadow puppets.

The wing caressed the ground after one final swoop.

A piercing shriek sliced through the roiling night.

“Yuzu!” the orange cat gasped, recognizing his sister’s pained howl. He bolted around the side of the house, ears pierced back with terror clutching his heart in an icy grip. 

In the narrow strip of grass behind the clinic where a single, scraggly tree had been trying to grow a shadowed creature moved. It was facing away from him, its head lowered over a panting heap of fur between its paws. As it lifted its narrow head at the cat’s approach, a thin string of drool dripped out of its jowls. The spindly legs looked too twig like to support the creature’s thick barrel chest and its twisted spine stabbed against its thin skin like the barbs of a serrated knife. Slitted golden eyes gazed blankly and hungrily around, a rumbling persistent whine emanating from its throat. 

Ichigo froze, ensnared by the aching hunger in the creature’s eyes, the raw wildness that roiled from within its disturbing state.

A darker figure closer to the tree shifted, a white-toed paw reaching out to drag their body into a patch of moonlight. 

“Karin…?” he asked, a snarl forming on his lips as he shook himself out of his panicked reverie. 

His little sister’s chin was stained crimson where it had once been white and one of her eyes was swollen shut. She begged him in a strained, desperate voice, “Ichigo! He has Yuzu and I can’t--I--I--you have to save her!”

The light colored lump at the monster’s feet moaned piteously. The monster snapped its jaws, looking back and forth between the two kittens on the ground, swaying drunkenly on its feet. 

Ichigo had barely moved before the creature's gaze locked into his barreling form. Ichigo’s claws dug into the damp earth, tearing up clumps of grass before he tensed, prepared to surge at the beast. 

At his movements, the animal fully took notice of the bright orange cat. Its eyes focused on him, pupils blown wide as it leapt away from Yuzu’s shivering body to charge towards Ichigo with white fangs gleaming and twined talons stretched out towards him.

The two clashed in a flurry of disjointed limbs, wild strikes, underhanded blows, all driven by the two warring insatiable desires that each animal possessed separately--the instinct to protect the weak and the instinct to feast on the weak. The orange cat dodged a crushing bite to his spine, hopping nimbly around the creature to keep it distracted while irritating it with teasing grazes of his claws to lure the predator away from his sisters. The creature merrily gave chase--the thrill of blood sport awakening it's true instincts to maim as the seconds ticked by--and its moves started to become less sluggish and more targeted towards capturing its newfound prey. 

Ichigo aimed for the monster’s eyes with his claws, latching his jaws onto the bridge of the monster’s muzzle. It let out a grating screech at the sharp points digging into the soft flesh there, tossing its head to shake off the attacker, slamming the cat repeatedly into the ground while he refused to release his hold. The creature reared up onto its spindly hing legs, its wails reaching a new ear splitting crescendo before it arced downward. 

Ichigo’s body crumbled into the earth, and his grip was finally dislodged. He tried to roll onto his paws to dart away when muggy, hot breath roiled onto him, ruffling his fur. He managed to partially get to his feet and deliver a forceful hit to the creature’s black nose before powerful jaws chomped onto his side, teeth carving into his skin and yanking his body into the air. 

“Ichigo!” Karin pleaded to the cruel night, trying to stand on her shaking legs as he brother was relentlessly beaten into the ground and torn into by the beast. She looked towards her sister, her unmoving, fragile sister whose eyes were closed and whose body had halted in its twitching. “Yuzu...please. Please don’t die.”

A fluffy leg obscured her vision of her sister and a deep, feminine voice cut through the brutality surrounding them, “Don’t worry. None of you are dying here tonight.”

The scene froze, the creature dropping Ichigo’s bloodied body to the ground to look with great interest at the newcomer. Ichigo struggled to stand and the creature casually set a paw onto his back, pressing down. 

A she-cat with brilliant violet eyes regarded the situation with a deathly calmness on her dark face. For such an imposing presence, she was short--the tips of her ears would have only reached Ichigo’s shoulders--and delicately boned with a long-haired coat that created most of her bulk. She looked at the creature disdainfully, the way one would regard a cockroach or a splinter in their paw.

Ichigo panted from underneath the weight of the monster’s paw and through the haze of blood and fear and panic he was able to focus on the strange she-cat that appeared to be illuminated under the caress of moonlight. She met his startled gaze directly, her eyes piercing into him sharper than the claws that were cutting his back to shreds. 

“Release him,” she commanded the beast, lifting up a delicate paw. “Do you understand me? Or is your mind completely gone?”

It rumbled in response to her questions, hair raising on its shoulders as it pressed harder onto Ichigo’s spine. 

“Fine,” she muttered, flexing her toes as long, unusually bright white claws unsheathed. “I guess we’ll have to settle this the only way you’ll understand.”

Sensing the prospect of a worthier opponent, the beast stepped off and away from Ichigo. It stalked towards the tiny she-cat, blood dripping from it’s thin wounds and thick gobs of pink-tinged drool coalescing around its muzzle with its nose sliced open to the cartilage. 

The two began to stalk towards one another, assessing the other's movements, preparing to strike. As the creature and the cat began to circle one another, Ichigo managed to pull himself up on trembling legs. The she-cat was careful with her steps, keeping herself between the monster and the kittens as she subtly led it away from them. When the creature would start to drift in its interest back to one of the kittens or Ichigo, she would hiss or step closer to it to bring its focus towards herself. 

What a stupidly brave she-cat, he thought to himself. This stranger was willing to let herself be killed for a family that she had no obligation to protect. She was willing to go above and beyond in this unasked for display of compassion. Ichigo dug his claws into the ground in frustration, watching the she-cat unwaveringly face off against the nightmarish being before her. 

If he were stronger...he could protect them. He should be able to protect his family better than this. They should not have to rely on a stranger’s empathy. This stranger--this stupid stranger--why? Why was she able to throw herself into this situation without regard for her own life? And why did she look prepared to die? What could possibly be going on in her head and heart to make her want to commit such a selfless act?

The she-cat’s gait began to move at a quicker pace, encouraging the beast to take chase. It eagerly gave into the temptation, springing towards her. Its jaws snapped centimeters away from where she once stood as she continued to dance just out of its lethal reach. 

Ichigo’s body seemingly moved on its own volition as he stood up on his protesting legs, pain radiating from every inch of his abused body. A crimson line dribbled down the corner of his black lips and he bit back his reflex to cough up the blood that pooled on his tongue. He gathered his strength and rushed towards the beast with newfound determination, sinking his fangs into the curved bones of the monster’s hind leg.

Instead of expressing gratitude, the she-cat yelled, “What are you doing, you idiot?! I have this under control!”

“Ung haff voo boo dis,” Ichigo tried to explain, his jaws filled with fur and bone and blood. He dug his claws into the ground, trying to pull the monster backwards. It kicked up its leg and tried to dislodge his grip as he once again held on stubbornly to the appendage. 

The she-cat glared at him, continuing to weave around the creature’s jolting attacks, almost appearing to float with the effortlessness of her leaps and bounds. 

What a stupidly bullheaded tom, she thought to herself, raking her claws along the beast’s side in order to distract it from the new tagalong. If he were smart he would have used his remaining reserves of energy to gather the injured she-kittens--either his sisters or his own kits--and run away from the danger. She was just a stranger. She was nothing to him. And yet…

She vaulted upwards in one powerful push, landing on the creature’s muzzle and using it as a springboard to clear the rest of its body. Safely landing behind the befuddled beast, she whipped around and roughly grabbed the nape of the orange tom’s neck, trying to dislodge him. She loosened her grip to hiss at him, “You need to let go, fool, and get the others out of here.”

“Numph,” he insisted.

“Are you really willing to risk your life--their lives, just to finish a pointless fight?” she asked, keeping a sharp eye on the monster as it howled and salivated at the loss of its target. They shifted and swayed according to the monster’s small, agitated movements.

The tom, in a fit of righteous indignation, released his hold and turned to her, thrusting his muzzle into her face. His amber-brown eyes were passionately ablaze as he pointed out, as if it were the most obvious sentiment in the world, “What kind of tom would I be if I let the cat who tried to save my family die? If I have to leave you here then I’d be better off dead anyway.”

As if to punctuate his outlandish declaration, the beast abruptly turned--regaining its murderous focus--and as its gaping jaws drew closer, Ichigo was unaware of the threat that loomed behind him. The she-cat unwaveringly shoved him out of the way, going still as she was abruptly grabbed by her tail and yanked backwards. 

Ichigo immediately threw himself on top of the stranger, one of his hind paws balancing on the back of her skull while his front paws laid on the creature’s muzzle. The beast looked balefully up at him, beginning to lift both cats off of the ground. He hissed, digging his claws into the battered skin. The she-cat snarled, but remained still so Ichigo could keep his shaky footing. 

Ichigo took in the sight of the golden embers burning from the ring around the monster’s irises before he slashed one to ribbons, blood arcing in the air around them as the gelatinous orb split open under his claws’ sharp points. Before the beast could register the wound, Ichigo hooked his front claws into its ears and placed his back legs on the angular bones that jutted from the sides of its thin face. Steeling himself, Ichigo opened his jaws and sank his fags into the monster’s remaining eye, the soft mass exploding in his mouth with an array of blood and vile tear-like liquid.

The she-cat fell to the ground, landing on her feet and wincing as she twitched her broken tail, as the creature wailed at its loss of sight. Thinking quickly, she followed its panicked reversal. She watched the arch and subtle play of veins in its neck as it swung around erratically, hindquarters twitching as she prepared her final strike. 

Like a cobra, she struck and her mark landed true.

As her claws pierced into his artery, the orange tom leapt away from the monster and her clean cut. Immediately, blood began to spurt from the wound, trickling down the side of his neck while a great majority sprayed out onto the silvered green grass. A few drops splattered onto her face and back while she waited for the beast to collapse. It stumbled and caught itself, snapping at their patiently circling bodies.

The orange tom stepped closer to her, still fixated on the dying beast before them. “My name’s Ichigo, by the way.”

“Rukia,” she said curtly with a sharp nod, stepping towards the crumpled figure. 

Its body twitched and writhed in the dirt, desperately trying to breathe as blood gurgled in its throat. Its legs struggled to regain purchase beneath its paws, slipping on the slick puddle beneath its feet. Thick, red tears ran in rivulets down its cheeks, the gaping chasms where its eyes had once been a testimony to the full extent of its agony; those vacant, dead golden eyes would have evoked less sympathy from the onlookers.

Ichigo forced himself to turn away from the macabre sight, ears twitching uncomfortably as the creature continued to sob and moan incoherently with its last dying breaths. 

“It should stop in a few minutes,” Rukia attempted to diffuse the dreadful awkwardness that had descended upon them. 

Both were quiet for a few moments, the fire in their veins fizzling out as the seconds ticked by. Without the rush of battle to sustain them, they slowly sagged under the heavy weight of their injuries and exhaustion. Unconsciously, Ichigo drifted closer to Rukia, their pelts brushing as he sought out the sensation of another body to assure himself that they were alive; he couldn’t yet process what had all occurred, but she was a solid representation of their ordeal that wasn’t a mockery of nature.

Surprisingly, the stranger allowed him his comfort, seemingly taking solace in his presence as well. 

Eventually, Ichigo limped over to his sisters, noting the miraculous rise and fall of their chests as they lay asleep on the ground. He nosed along their cuts, pressing his paw against their bones to check for breaks. 

He started to turn to finally thank the stranger--Rukia, that was such an unusual name--when a muffled shout erupted from behind him. 

The monster had managed to draw upon its last reserves of resolve and had captured Rukia around the shoulders with its jaws. Rukia gasped and struggled to breathe as it crushed her in its wretchedly powerful grip. Once again, Ichigo rushed towards the beast. 

He wedged his paws into the monster’s mouth, trying to pry their crushing grip from Rukia’s body. He clawed at its gums and shredded its lips, the fur on his front legs clotting with blood and saliva. Rukia remained calm throughout the ordeal, breathing shallowly through her nose and kneading her claws into the ground to fight off the pain.

“It’s no use,” she spat out through gritted teeth. “This thing’s not gonna let go until it dies. I’ll just have to hang on until it passes. Go. Check on your family. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you deaf or just stupid?” Ichigo snapped, pulling back and inspecting the creature’s neck wound. “I told you that I’m not gonna leave you to die! My sisters are fine for now, so whatever bullshit you wanna spout about me taking care of them first is already rejected.”

“Why you insolent little--ah!” Rukia cringed as the beast ground its teeth slightly into her shoulders. “Would you stop? I’m trying to talk here.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure the giant death machine is going to listen to your bitching,” Ichigo pointed out sarcastically. He tentatively pressed his paw into the deep wound indented into the creature’s neck, wondering how her claws had cut that deep into the muscles and veins. Did she coat them with diamonddust? 

“It’s not like I have anything better to do,” she countered. The monster grumbled to itself, its muscles twitching as it tried to stay conscious. Ichigo dug his claws deeper into the wound, aggravating the already torn flesh, hoping that would lead to it bleeding out faster. 

“You could shut up and save your strength,” he suggested, stepping away from his pawdiwork and circling back to meet Rukia face to face. “Although, I doubt that’s possible for you.”

Rukia chuckled, her violet eyes fluttering shut, “And how can you be sure of that? We just met tonight.”

Ichigo laid down in front of her, resting his chin on his paws. He was so exhausted, deep within he thought about dragging his sister’s inside and curling up with them on the plush carpet instead of the blood soaked grass. Yet, there was also a curious part of him that didn’t want to leave this strange she-cat alone; she was foreign to him, but there was something familiar about the way she acted and the entrancing way she fought, something that called to his soul and made interacting with her almost seem second nature. 

“True,” he admitted, quietly. Rukia cracked open her eyes to meet his gaze, the kaleidoscope of gold and amber that was present in their depths. Her chest ached a little, but she chalked that up to the loosening jaws around her. “But I feel like I know you already.”  
Rukia felt that way as well, but she kept quiet, somehow knowing he already read the sentiment in her eyes.  
\------------------------  
As the two continued to converse while the corpse of their fallen foe cooled, the moonlight caught on the wings of a swallowtail butterfly drifting in the summer breeze. The bystander surveyed the scene unfolding before it, watching the spilled on the ground splinter and spread outwards as it built the foundations of fate between two extraordinary souls.

The butterfly hovered for a few more heartbeats before flying off into the shadows of the night. Destiny had been witnessed, destiny had begun. It was time for their story to begin anew.  
\--------------------------------------------------------Interlude--------------------------------------------------  
Shaolin had just evolved her Litten into a Torracat when she remembered that she hadn’t fed the cats. She quickly texted her girlfriend the news of Mr. Sting’s level up, popped her golden earbuds out of her ears, and made her way towards the downstairs kitchen. The house was strangely silent, she had expected the little buggers to be shouting their displeasure at being delayed their food. 

It was a good thing her foster mother wasn’t home, if Yoruichi knew that she had kept her precious babies waiting then she’d be grounded for sure. Or guilted into doing something else. Or mocked at a later date. Yoruichi was not a very predictable person and Shaolin often found herself constantly on guard in case shenanigans were afoot--and they often were.

Shaolin had just pricked up the tab from the first can of wet food when the eeriness of the silence suddenly seemed less unusual and more unnatural. Even if they weren’t complaining now, the second the cabinet was open the cats would always come racing into the kitchen. 

“Isshin, Ichi, Karin, Yuzu!” she shouted into the vacant house, her voice being met with the hollow ticking of the clock on the wall. “C’mon guys, it’s din-din time.”

Pulling out her phone, she checked her texts to make sure Yoruichi hadn’t told her she was taking the cats with her (even though that would be ridiculous, since Yoruichi was at a veterinary conference in Tokyo for the weekend). Aside from a few photos of the bustling streets, there was no mention of the cats. 

“If you idiots are closed up in one of the rooms,” she grumbled, half threateningly, prepared to march back upstairs and drag their furry asses into the kitchen. Even as she started her search, the feeling of dread remained in her heart.

‘What if’ scenarios started to play out in her head as she looked through the rooms. What if they were catnapped? What if they had gotten into something poisonous for them? What if one of them had gotten hit by a car? Or someone mistook them for a stray or a wild animal and called animal control? What if they killed them instead, to rid the city of pests? 

Yoruichi will blame me if anything happens to her babies, she thought, hands trembling as she frantically pawed through the dryer. Yuzu liked to slip into it whenever she got the chance, loving the warmth of the laundry room. What if a cat had gotten caught in the machine? What if she couldn’t find them? How would Yoruichi react? Would she be mad at her? Would she take it out on her?

If Yoruichi blamed her for this, she might…

Shaolin threw on her tracksuit over her nightclothes. She grabbed a small flashlight from the junk drawer. She stuffed her keys into her pockets along with some cat treats and a whistle. She texted Kiyone what she was doing and opened the front door. 

The instant she stepped outside, the smell hit her like a brick wall. It was like rotting meat with hints of sewer water and iron. She gagged, covering the lower half of her face in her hands. 

Following her instincts, she grudgingly trailed the source of the scent to the backyard. The shitty motion sensor lights on the back porch were off, which simultaneously made her panic rocket and fall in bursts. Horror stories of budding serial killers buzzed in her mind. She stepped into the yard, grass crunching under her slippers. Suddenly, the small space was filled with light. 

“What. The. Hell.” Shaolin whispered, her gaze flicking from one disturbing piece of the picture before her to another. 

The ground had been torn up in a violent skirmish, patches of grass peeled back to the brown soil, long claw marks gouged into the earth. Yuzu and Karin lay battered on one side of the yard, their coats matted with red along their sides and mouths. A black mound of fur was catty corner to the other side of the yard, as if Isshin had attempted to run for help and had fallen before he could succeed. She couldn’t tell if they were breathing.

Shaolin found herself focusing on them because the last remaining sight to this puzzle was so horrific she wondered if she would awaken from a nightmare in a few moments. 

Whatever the thing was, it was large and its anatomy was mangled and mutated--an ugly, reject of a mammal that was collapsed on the ground with a strange cat wedged in its short muzzle. A red-brown stain surrounded the large body of the creature, and its face was completely mauled. Lying uncomfortably close to the behemoth was Ichigo, his bright orange coat a beacon in this bizarre situation. Both cats were breathing, the smaller one’s breathes moving the creature’s loosened jaws with each rise and fall. 

Shaolin crept forward and knelt next to the passed out Ichigo. She reached towards him and gingerly grasped the nape of his neck between her fingers. A growl rumbled in his throat as she tried to pull him away from the possibly rabies infested body. The cat in the jaws drowsily blinked open hazy eyes and stared up at her questioningly. Ichigo clung to his spot on the ground so she dislodged him with a hard yank, cupping his back legs and drawing him closer to inspect his wounds. 

He grumbled and glared at her as Shaolin looked at the dried wounds that littered his body. When her hands started shaking and he started to look concerned for her, she set him back down on the ground. He sniffed at the strange cat and curled up closer than he had before--whether to spite her or out of genuine concern for the other cat she didn’t know. 

Not knowing what to do, she pulled out her phone and stared blankly at her contacts. Who could she call? Who could handle this? This was all her fault. If she had been properly watching them like she had promised Yoruichi she would then none of this would have occurred. 

Yoruichi was going to be mad, she just knew it. She was going to get mad and give her away because she was a screw up who had shit like this happen on her watch. Tears pricked in her eyes as she remembered Ichigo’s wounds and the kittens’ blood stained furs and Isshin’s unmoving body. She let a monster hurt them while she was distracted doing something stupid. 

She clicked on the only contact that made sense in the moment. It rang for a few moments, each recycled ringing stabbing her in her guilty conscience. 

“Soi Fon?” Yoruichi’s smoky voice filtered through the phone. “Is everything alright, little bee?”

“I--I--I’m so sorry, Yoruichi!I was playing a game and it was getting late and, and, and now there’s blood everywhere and this thing,” she sobbed. “Please don’t be mad. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I-I didn’t mean--and now they’re hurt and it’s my fault and I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, Soi Fon,” Yoruichi soothed. “Calm down. What’s going on? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

“N--no. The babies. They’re hurt real bad and I don’t know what to do.”

“Someone hurt the cats?” Cities away, Yoruichi was already packing her bags and marching her way home. No one hurt her little bee or her babies. “How badly? Are they breathing?”

“Ichigo is, but I don’t know about the others.”

“Listen closely, little bee. I need you to call Kisuke--I know you hate him, but do it--and try to remain calm. Check on all the cats, make sure they’re breathing, and take note of the worst of their injuries before he gets there. Did you see who did this to them?

Shaolin stared morosely at the unmoving mound of muscle and bones, its concave, blood filled eye sockets staring morosely back at her. “Yeah,” she whispered. “But you aren’t gonna believe me.”


	2. ----------------------------------------Part II: Bonum commune hominis------------------------------------

Ichigo curled around the smaller bodies of his little sister’s, grateful that they were fine and that the worst of their injuries wasn’t fatal. His own wounds had been much the same, although the bruising had been more intense on his spine and his legs. It was a miracle that they hadn’t been fatally damaged by the assault. They were in a constant state of pain, but they were fine.

The same could not be said for Isshin. The creature had attacked him first and the injuries to his body ranged from a broken leg to a collapsed lung. Three days after the event and he was still in a medically induced coma. 

Rukia had been placed in one of the holding cages in the back of the clinic and she, as well, was still asleep although hers stemmed from exhaustion instead of injuries. He had started to limp over there to check up on her earlier, but Yoruichi had redirected him back into the living quarters. 

Yuzu whimpered in her slumber, her tiny paws curling and uncurling as she fought off a nightmare villain. Karin wrapped her front legs around her sibling, drawing Yuzu into her chest. The white gauze wrapped around half of her face was both a glaring reminder and a sigh of relief; she still had the eye, but her eyesight might never be the same. 

Yoruichi’s latest foster kid had taken to watching them like a hawk and was currently sitting on the floor next to the siblings, dark circles prominent under her eyes. Ichigo wished he could get her to ease up on the self-guilting but even if they could speak the same language he doubted that she would listen. Instead, he tried to be less difficult for the time being. At least until she finally fell asleep and he could do what he wanted. 

He closed his eyes and evened his breathing, counting the ticks of the clock and the unnerving stillness of Soi Fon. Ichigo was on his way to actually falling asleep when he heard the teenager’s clothes rustle as she stood up, tiptoeing on bare feet into her room. She left the door slightly ajar, the click of a lock curiously absent. 

Ichigo crept out of their nest of blankets, his sisters comfortably wrapped around one another. He maneuvered around the house as stealthily as his glowing bright orange fur would allow him. As he snuck into the clinic, the grey and white atmosphere so foreign and sterile compared to the comfort of their lived-in home. A yellow light cut a line from underneath Yoruichi’s office door. He bounded across the spilled light, hoping she didn’t see the shadow of his paws. 

His father was being kept in the tiny intensive care unit and Ichigo knew from prior experiences that sneaking in or out of there was impossible. Ichigo passed by the locked door, the steady beep of a heart monitor coming from inside. 

The kennel was much easier to get into. He hopped onto the encircling countertop of the examination room, leaning over the edge and pressing down on the handle of the door. He slowly threw his body weight, the silver lever digging into his chest before it gave. The door swung open with him dangling from the turned handle. Ichigo slipped down and quickly caught the door with his paws before it could slam shut, carefully guiding the heavy door back into the port. 

The door clicked shut and he was shut in the dark room with its silver cages and sleeping animals and a small window that showed the black sky overhead. 

A few of the residents grumbled and glared as he made his way towards her cage. She was on one of the bottom ones, the lighter parts of the gradient fur along her chest standing out more since she had been cleaned by the nurses. 

Ichigo had hoped that maybe she would have woken up by now, but clearly she was still in a deep slumber. He sat down in front of the cage, contemplating the she-cat in front of him. Rukia. He still had many questions that he wanted to ask her, the main ones being Why? and How?

Rukia mumbled in her sleep, twisting and turning until her head was almost upside down, a dainty paw draped over her upturned chin and her back legs sticking up straight in the air. Her tail was pulled tight to her chest with her other paw, which was contentedly kneading into the thick fluff. 

Ichigo found it hard to believe that someone so stupid acting--even in her sleep--could have saved them.

“Would you quit starin’, lover boy?” hissed an above resident. “Go. To. Bed. You can see your lil’ mate tomorrow. When we all aren’t trying to get some shut eye, preferably.” 

Ichigo leapt backwards as if he had been burned, his muscles protesting at the latest strenuous movement, “We are not mates! Why would I want to be with some crazy, munchkin, stray she-cat?”

“Hey!” protested a stumpy-legged tom in the kennel next to Rukia. “That is offensive to munchkins! Watch what you're saying, you glow in the dark carrot stick!”

“Who asked you?!” Ichigo yelled, backpedalling, his ears flattened against his skull. The noise woke up the other residents, their once grumbling discontent changing into a symphony of disapproval. Rukia snuggled against her tail, completely oblivious to the discourse occurring around her. 

Ichigo escaped the room the way he had came, howls and yowls dogging his hurried departure.  
\------------------------  
A couple of days later, Ichigo stretched from his catnap, blinking drowsily in the late afternoon sunlight. He yawned and rolled onto his side, finding himself staring into curious violet eyes. “What are you doing outside your cage?” he asked with a yawn, propping his chin on the side of the plush, blue bed. 

Realization dawned on him and he leapt up with an untomly shriek,”What are you doing outside of your cage?!”

“Watching you laze about,” she informed him, unperturbed by his yelling. “And I’m hungry. Go get me food, your humans are slacking with their hospitality. I haven’t eaten since this morning.” 

“I am not getting you anything until--were you watching me sleep the whole time?!” he asked, scandalized. His fur fluffed up around his shoulders, creeped out at the thought of this stranger hovering over him while he slept.

“No,” she answered him coolly, sitting down and licking her paw to clean her ears. “But even if I was, is it really any different than you standing outside my cage and watching me at night? We’re even now, so can we go get some food now?”

Ichigo sputtered incoherently for a second before he asked indignantly, “Who told you about that? Was it Kon? When I get my paws on that damn runt, I’ll kill him.”

“It doesn't matter who told me. I was just surprised that you turned out to be a weirdo who watches cats sleep.” Rukia leaned towards him and whispered, “But you don't need to worry, your secret fetish is safe with me.”

With that said, she scampered away with a bell-like laugh while Ichigo remained in his bed. He was half-convinced that he was still asleep when he bounded after her, yowling angrily at her presumptuously false statement. He cornered her as she leapt nimbly onto the kitchen counter, strolling along the edges of the sink while casting a critical eye over the two windows that were present in the room. 

“You can’t just walk out in the middle of a conversation,” he reprimanded her, joining her on her perch. 

Rukia ignored him. “I’m in the mood for some fish. Is there a river or a pond nearby?”

“There’s a river a few blocks away,” he answered. Rukia started messing with the bottom the the windowsill, her paws working with quick practices movements. “Why do you want to know? Gonna go fishing?”

He said the last part as a joke, but instead of glowering up at him, she snickered as she slid the window upwards, “Nice to know you're smarter than you look, Ichigo.”  
\------------------------

“Hey, midget,” he called ahead once they were a distance away from the house.

“Don't call me midget, strawberry!”

“You broke out of your cage, didn’t you?”

“You ask that like it's a bad thing. It was really cramped in there, so don't start acting all high and mighty.”  
\------------------------  
Ichigo found himself standing on the banks of the Onose River, still completely baffled as to how and why they were there. Rukia was pacing back and forth along the edge of the gently moving water, looking for something in the water he couldn’t see. 

“Don’t stand so close,” he warned her. “If you fall in I’m not gonna save your drowning ass.”

“I’m not going to fall in,” she said, placing her front paws into the the shallows. 

Before he could yell something else and scare the her prey away, Rukia explained, “I need to be in the water to catch some lunch. You need to be quiet so I can concentrate.”

“No, you need to be quiet,” Ichigo muttered under his breath as he sat down and watched her as she waded deeper into the water. She was turned away from him, intently focused on the movement of the river. Her tail floated on top of the water, drifting with the current. The bright, summer sun glittered against the ripples in the river, the reflected light weaving patterns against her fur. 

The silence that stretched between them was strangely comforting and familiar, like they both knew that whatever they had to discuss could wait a few moments longer. As if they knew there would be more time for them to figure out the strangeness of their meeting and deal with the aftermath of the attack.

“Ichigo,” she started, her body as still as stone. “Do you know anything about the monster that attacked your family?”

“No,” he answered and waited for her to elaborate.

“That’s too bad,” Rukia murmured thoughtfully. She lifted a paw, leaning forward before striking. A small wriggling silver fish dangled from her claws as she turned back to the shore. “Because I don’t know anything either.”

“What? But you--”

“I mean, I’ve seen things like that one around every now and then, but I don’t know why they’re like that or where they came from,” she said sheepishly, pinning the fish down onto the ground, water running off her slicked down fur. Rukia shook herself and tossed the fish at him. He reared back and caught the slippery fish, unsure what she wanted him to do with it. As she returned to fishing in the river--in a different spot than from where she had caught the first one. 

Ichigo awkwardly pinned the fish under his paw, its round eyes staring up at him vacantly. He ignored it in favor of watching Rukia. 

Four fish later and Ichigo was starting to have difficulty keeping them from flopping away. Rukia was now drenched from her escapades deeper and deeper into the river, starting to resemble an otter more and more as she glided into the dark depth. Occasionally, she would dive down and not resurface until Ichigo started to panic. She never came up with any fish in her jaws, paddling and writhing around in the water for a few more moments before regaining her foothold. He guessed that she did so out of pure enjoyment for swimming--something he didn’t understand, but it was relieving to see her head bob above the waves when she came up gasping for air. 

One of the fish performed a backflip in the air, flopping away towards the river. Ichigo leapt forward to catch the little devil, in the process releasing the other fish that he had been laying on. He cursed and struggled to her them back into a reasonable pile, but every time he got one or two under control, the others would hop off into separate directions. 

Ichigo was considering letting one of the fish regain their freedom as it desperately flopped until it was about a foot away from the edge of the river. 

A black and white blur sped past him and leapt onto the renegade fish, trapping it between his paws. Simultaneously, a mountainous shadow was cast over Ichigo and a giant brown paw halted the other three that were trying to make their escape while he was distracted. 

“Chad? Uryu? What are you guys doing here?”

“Saving your dinner, apparently,” Uryu said snidely, looking down at the squirming fish snobbishly. Chad was silent, laying down and barricading the fish between his legs, head tipping side to side as he watched them try to escape. 

A long-haired dark orange and white she-cat popped up around the other side of Chad, a black and white terrier mix next to her. The second the terrier mix saw him, she charged at him and he automatically reared back onto his haunches as she barrelled into him. Ichigo struggled for a bit, trying to shove her off with clawless paws and insistent kicks. She responded with a barrage yips and nips, tugging on his ears as she growled, “This is for making us worry, you idiot!”

“Tatsuki, you don’t have to bully him,” Orihime championed on his behalf, laying down next to Chad, on the cool ground that his shadow cast. 

“Go for his tail,” suggested Uryu. “He hates having it messed with.”

“No! No! Would you stop that,” Ichigo yowled. Tatsuki, thankfully, didn’t mess with his tail. Instead, she settled on grabbing the nape of his neck as she dragged him around, berating him for not telling them why he had been missing. 

“Ichigo?” a new voice entered the fray and Tatsuki froze in her assault to look at the newcomer. 

Rukia was fresh out of the water, dripping water onto the ground. Her fur clung to her slender frame, highlighting the delicateness of her bone structure and the largeness of her violet eyes, which were looking warily at the mottley of new characters that had arrived. “Are these your...friends?”

“No,” answered Uryu.

“Yes,” chimed the others, albeit a bit grudgingly on Tatsuki’s part. 

“Sometimes,” Ichigo admitted petulantly as Tatsuki yanked on his ears and kicked him in the kidneys. 

“And I presume you’re the new stray on the block that saved his life?” Uryu asked, cutting to the chase as he deposited his fish in front of Orihime. She eagerly batted the half dead fish around.

“I suppose,” Rukia responded, evenly meeting his gaze. 

“Can the two of you stop with the stare down and get Tatsuki to stop?” Ichigo tried to get them to focus on the issue at paw--the fact that Tatsuki still had not let up on her attack. They ignored him.

“Did you catch all these fish?” Orihime gasped in awe, stepping away from Chad and her new toy to stick her nose in Rukia’s face. “I can’t even swim! How do you do it? Do you have x-ray vision to see them swimming in the deep, dark water? I wish I had x-ray vision.”

“It’s not that hard,” Rukia said, ducking her head modestly. “I could teach you, if you want. How to swim and fish.”

Orihime’s brown eyes practically glowed as she excitedly asked Rukia to teach her.  
\------------------------  
The pack of friends Rukia found herself in was...strange. They were loud and aggressive and ran into situations without thinking and were extremely tame for some of the wild stunts they pulled. Prior to this, Rukia had not given much thought to how true housepets acted. She had figured they would be spoiled and well loved enough that they wouldn't have any reason to go outside other than to mock the less fortunate. 

Don’t get her wrong--the group she was in was extremely spoiled by their owners. Orihime’s owner was so doting that the sweet she-cat had her own room and was allowed to indulge in some human foods. Chad had a crate of toys taller than he was. Tatsuki was a competitive dog in the agility circuit and travelled luxuriously to distant lands in order to compete. Uryu’s owner was a renowned doctor with no children so he got everything that his owner thought he needed--which was often overpriced and over the top. 

And Ichigo…

Ichigo was a rare pet who still lived with his family. He had a father and sisters--all of which loved him immensely. He had an owner who clearly cared for all of them without suffocating them. Despite this, sometimes she would get the feeling that he couldn’t see his family--like there was some pain shadowing his perception. Was it the monster? Yes, it had hurt them but they were all fine now. That battle was just a nightmare now, something inexplicable and written off.

Rukia noticed this in the slope of his shoulders when he was curled around his sisters, looking off into the distance or when he would struggle out of his owners’ embraces, a lingering of guilt in his expression. 

Somewhere inside of her, she recognized those emotions that weighed him down. Feeling like you weren’t deserving of the love so freely offered, as if you were a burden in a pretty picture of domestic life. She puzzled over why Ichigo--this cat she had just met--would be experiencing such despair in his heart.

His despair and the desire to protect what he loved was part of the reason she had been lured into that fight. Rukia couldn’t imagine she could do anything else to alleviate any of that, but she rather liked hanging out with him and enjoying a small piece of his world; seeing how he coped with his pain was almost enough to make her confront her own demons as well. 

Rukia wondered how long she could latch herself onto all their lives--leeching off their carefree attitudes and rambunctious behavior--before she was forced to leave. Because this sort of life was not meant for a stray like her. 

Not anymore.  
\------------------------  
Isshin woke up a week after the attack.

“Masaki!” he sobbed. “The gods have blessed us with a third daughter in my slumber! Look at how beautiful she is! Yoruichi! We need to take a new family picture! One for every holiday card and--”

If he weren’t in such a fragile condition, Ichigo would have whacked his father.

The battered cat had managed to throw his damaged body across a framed picture of their mother that rested on one of the lower shelves of a mahogany bookcase. The black tom rubbed his face against the cream colored tabby in the picture, a chainsaw-like purr rumbling in his throat as he rambled on and on about the new daughter they had always wished for. 

“Sorry about my ridiculous fa--”Ichigo started to apologize but paused when he saw his sisters glomp onto Rukia. Yuzu had draped herself on top of Rukia’s back and was yammering her ears off while Karin smoothed out the knots in Rukia’s fur, pulling out any briars or clumps of dirt around her paws. Rukia basked in the displays of affection, answering Yuzu’s inquiries in between tentatively returning the favor by grooming Karin as well. 

Ichigo turned back to berating his father--who was still glued to the picture of their mother.  
\------------------------  
“This is stupid,” Uryu hissed, straining under the weight on his back.

Ichigo panted underneath him, baring his fangs in irritation, “For once, I’m in agreement with you.”

“Quit digging your claws into my shoulder,” Tatsuki snapped up at him as she struggled to maintain her footing. 

Chad, as per usual, suffered in silence, although he was probably not suffering quite as much as the smaller animals balanced precariously one on top of the other like some bad circus act. 

Orihime, at the very top of the stack, stood on her hind legs and peered into the bird’s nest, “Nope. No eggs in this one either. Are you sure this is the right time of the year for them to be laying eggs?”

“There’s always something laying eggs no matter what time of the year it is,” Rukia said with all the confidence that had gotten them into this position to begin with. “And you guys are doing great up there. Really working on those leg muscles, huh? If we find some eggs all that exercise will be totally worth it.”

“If?!”  
\------------------------  
“Y’know,” Rukia observed one day, cleaning her muzzle and side-eyeing him. “You don’t really look like the rest of your family. They’re all...natural, earthy colors and you’re...”she lifted her paw up and down, indicating his obnoxiously orange coat. 

“Not?”

“Yeah. Why is that? Are you adopted?” she asked curiously, the way one would inquire about the weather.

“What? No-no-no-n-why would you even ask that?!”Ichigo sputtered. “ You don’t just go up to someone and ask if they’re adopted. That’s ridiculous. What is wrong with you?! That is so rude! Who taught you manners?” 

“It’s a valid question!” she defended herself, hair raising along her shoulders. “And it would explain a lot, actually, like how such a stick in the mud like you ended up in such an energetic family. Plus, the fur color, obviously.”

“My fur is this color because of a recessive gene or something,” he muttered defensively, drawing his tail tight around his paws. ‘“It’s pretty common in cats actually, how come you don’t know something like that, idiot?”

“Why does someone's jeans size matter in fur color?” Rukia asked, tilting her head to the side. “And don’t call me an idiot, stupid!”  
\------------------------  
“She is just so frustrating!” Ichigo yowled the last part into the night sky, pacing back and forth on a rickety wooden fence. Chad laid in the grass below him, chewing on a rawhide bone and silently listening to his friend’s woes--all of which seemed to be centered around a certain violet eyed she-cat. “All of that was just the tip of the iceberg! She’s bossy and she always steals the last few pieces of my food--no one else’s, just mine--and she always get her way cause she so manipulative with this little crying act of hers--”

Ichigo’s voice droned on and on, filling Chad’s ears and his yard with empty complaint after empty complaint. Chad pondered over why his friend felt the need to express so much disdain for Rukia--to him, she was a fun she-cat who was a little different than them but overall fit in like a missing puzzle piece in their group dynamics. He thought it may have something to do with how the she-cat unnerved Ichigo in ways he was unused to. 

Or maybe it was because Rukia stole Ichigo’s closet earlier that day and had barricaded herself inside along with his sisters--declaring it a tom free territory from that point onward. That was what Ichigo had been yelling about when he first arrived at Chad’s home, but somewhere along the way that point had derailed into an hours long tirade about Rukia. Sometimes he wondered if Ichigo was fascinated by these traits of hers or meant the opposite of what he was saying. Maybe he should point that out, just to see what sort of reaction Ichigo would have. It would probably be hilarious.

Instead, Chad let him vent.  
\------------------------  
“He is such a moron,” Rukia hissed, peeking between the thin crack in the closet door. “Why was he so angry? What’s so special about this closet that he’d throw a fit over us taking it over?”

“Ichigo will overreact at the drop of a hat,” Karin shrugged, exploring the nooks and crannies of Soi Fon’s shoe rack which mostly consisted of flats and sneakers. Yuzu had found a knitted bee beanie and was kneading contentedly into the yellow fabric as she defended her brother, “He was just surprised. This has always been his closet so it must have been strange to see us in here.”

“Well,” Rukia huffed. “If he had asked nicely maybe I would have reconsidered the no toms rule, but no he had to fly off the handle again. This is just like the breakfast incident. No matter what he says he was not about to eat that piece of chicken when I snatched it up. He stepped away from the bowl and that cut was fair game and it was mine.”

“I think,” Yuzu said, a little confused by Rukia’s intensity. “That maybe you should calm down and enjoy the closet until Ichigo gets back.”

“He can pry this closet out of my cold, dead paws. That’s what he can do,” Rukia muttered ominously as she proceeded to climb up one of Soi Fon’s hanging winter coats.  
\------------------------  
Rukia was going through her forms, kicking and twirling in an alley near the clinic. Ichigo peered curiously around the corner, noting the similarities between her moves and the way she had fought on the night they had met. Although he was no stranger to fighting himself--his father and Tatsuki had prepared him for most simple self-defense situations and being bullied for his coat color meant he had a few won fights under his belt--even he could tell that Rukia was in a whole other league than himself. 

She moved like ice, eyes cold and focused, every twitch of a muscle fueled towards flowing into her next movement. Her paws danced over the ground, deceptively light yet still grounded where needed. Ichigo took note of each of her pawsteps, memorizing the pattern, his paws shifting and copying her strikes.

Rukia leapt up, pushing against the brickwall of the alleyway, using the pressure to reach the other wall. She weaved back and forth until she was nearly at the top of the ten foot walls.On her last jump, she pushed even more forcefully against the wall, propelling herself higher than before. For a fearful second, Ichigo thought she would fall, but instead she caught the rim of the roof and pulled herself up. 

Ichigo padded silently into the alley, placing a paw on the wall. His claws dug into the cement, pressing against it. He looked up; white, wispy clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky.  
Abruptly, he was rammed into from the side, wrestled down, and pinned onto his back. Rukia giggled above him, eyes filled with mirth as she teased him, “Stalker, much?”

Feeling hot under his pelt over being caught, Ichigo kicked his back legs up, lifting Rukia up from her stomach until she was dangling above him. She playfully batted her front paws at the air in front of his face, “Aww, c’mon. I was only joking. You’re so bad at spying it’s almost pathetic. You didn’t have to hide behind the wall and watch me. If you had just said ‘Please o wise Rukia-sensei, teach me all of your awesome kickass abilities and I will grovel at your feet for all eternity’, I might have considered showing you a few moves.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes, batting back at her playful paws, “As if I would say anything that ridiculous to you.”

With that said he flipped them over, hovering above her with one paw planted on her chest, “Besides, I think I’m a damn good fighter without your teachings.”

“Oh, really?” she smirked slyly. Before he could even prepare a counterattack, Rukia had kicked him off and darted down the alleyway, laughing. “If you’re so much better of a fighter than me, why don’t you prove it?”

Rukia was bent down on her forelegs, tail sticking straight up as she stared him down where he still lay in the dirt. Ichigo rolled onto his feet and leapt after her. She kept just out of her reach, leading him into the maze of alleyways and streets. Their laughter and yowls of happiness echoed around them as they chased each other around their haunts.  
\------------------------  
A stray from another life looked out through the window, observing the two youngsters play fighting in the afternoon sun. They had been back for about an hour but hadn’t made their way inside yet; too busy wrapped up in their own little bubble. He hadn’t seen his son smile or look that carefree in a long time. 

It was a little premature to pray for grandkits, but he silently asked Masaki to watch over this budding relationship and whatever journey it would lead them on. He hoped it was somewhere good.  
\------------------------  
Rukia was smiling pleasantly and trying not to gag as she politely ate the concoction Orihime’s owner had set before them. She along with other female pets from around the neighborhood had been invited over for brunch by the bubbly feline, although she was starting to regret not eating beforehand. Rukia had been wrong to assume that despite her stray past--where she had been forced to eat a wide array of disgusting things--that she would be able to handle whatever Orihime’s owner would feed them.

She had been wrong. So very, very wrong. 

Clearly, the others were well prepared for the meal since all of them had waved off the offer of food. They all looked on sympathetically as she forced down another bite.

A chocolate brown she-cat lapped up some water from a dish before inquiring casually, probably trying to save her from eating any more of whatever it was, “So, Rukia, how do you feel about Ichigo?”

Rukia choked and struggled to regain her breath, a lump of the concoction lodging in her throat. Tatsuki helpfully thwacked her on the back and she hacked up the piece before sputtering in confusion, “How do I feel about Ichigo? Well, he’s annoying and yells a lot and--”

The she-cat shook her head, “No. How do you feel about Ichigo? Like, do you like him just as a friend or do you like him like him?”

Suddenly, Rukia found herself to be the center of attention at the gathering. The gossip-mongers around her focused on her with an intensity that made her think of the snipers on that TV show Soi Fon liked so much--even Tatsuki had fallen victim, looking expectantly at her. 

Rukia hunched herself over, pushing the bowl away from herself. She answered carefully, with a little smile, “Ichigo and I are just friends.”

The words tasted odd on her tongue--not quite right, but that was what they were. 

They all looked disappointedly at her, having expected her to declare her undying passion for the orange tom. Orihime tilted her head away, guiltily relieved that Rukia wasn’t after Ichigo’s heart. She really liked the tom and thought that he must really like Rukia--and if the other she-cat even showed a smidgen of interest in Ichigo, she knew she would have lost her chance. 

Rukia let the conversation flow around her, drinking up half of the water before she felt back to normal with the strange flavors eradicated from her palet.  
\------------------------  
The rain fell from the sky, sneaking up on them quietly, with the sun still beaming bright through the clouds. 

Ichigo secluded himself in one of the back rooms, glaring through the window pane at the traitorous sky. A few flashes of heat lightning rumbled in the clouds, disrupting the stinging pitter patter of the raindrops slapping against the ground.

“Ichigo,” a chipper voice sang, a paw catching his tail in a vice like grip.

“Go away, old man,” he growled. Isshin pouted and continued to pester him. Ichigo ignored him, watching the plants outside bow down to the heavy droplets. 

“Ichigo,” another pair of voices chimed in from the doorway. “Have you seen Rukia? We’ve been looking everywhere for her.”

“Nope,” he answered dismissively. “Haven’t seen her. Now get lost.t”

“Ichigo!” Isshin snapped before beginning to wail dramatically. “You should be kinder to your sisters! Masaki! I’m sorry I raised such a rude son! So insolent! So disrespectful!”

His sister, nonplussed by Ichigo’s attitude or their father’s drama, left the room to look elsewhere for Rukia. His father continued to rave and try to engage him in some form of argument or conversation. Eventually, he was forced to give up when Yoruichi chased him downstairs, fussing at him the whole time for disrupting her naptime with his shrieking. 

Once it was just him in the room, Ichigo hopped off of the bed and shouldered his way underneath the blankets. In the darkness underneath the bed, Rukia’s eyes were as bright as glittering stones. She looked tired and wan as she asked him, “Are they gone?”

“Yeah, I managed to keep ‘em away,” he said, crawling in next to her. 

“You mean Yoruichi chased your father away and you did nothing,” she muttered, attempting some form of humor. Ichigo curled protectively around her and she pressed her face into the warm fur of his side. Outside of their hiding spot, the rain beat down like bullets from a firing squad. Ichigo didn’t know why she had such a heavy heart on this rainy day--and she didn’t know why he had such a heavy heart on this rainy day--but they both understood.

They both hated the rain.  
\--------------------------------------------------------Interlude--------------------------------------------------  
Yoruichi unzipped the body bag just enough to see the creative’s frozen face--the blood washed out of its fur and an almost peaceful expression on its skeletal features. “Is this enough evidence to convict?”

Kisuke ran a tired hand over his scruffy chin. “I’ve gone over every centimeter of this thing and there isn't a single thing to connect it to H.M. Labs or to Aizen.”

Yoruichi slammed her foot against the wall behind her, a few pieces of plaster cracking and falling. “Damnit!”

“As frustrating as this is, I don't think it warrants you destroying my house,” he pointed out. Kisuke reached over and slowly zipped up the bag, once more hiding its gruesome contents. 

“It was right in my yard, Kisuke!” she snapped, gesturing wildly with her hands. “This thing literally fell in our laps! A freshly escaped weapon that we know was built by that rat bastard--”

She cut off with a hysterical little laugh, frustrated beyond belief at how that man kept alluding punishment for his crimes against nature. But more than that, what he did to her family--past and present. 

“We just need to be patient,”Kisuke said for the billionth time. “He'll slip up and we'll be there when he does. Aiden just likes to think he's the smartest guy in the world--but he's only human and eventually there will be a trail leading us directly to where he's been hiding these creations.”

Yoruichi gave another kick to the wall, denting it further. She had heard that same speech over and over in the ten years since this whole mess had started. Sometimes, she just wanted to break into every shady building Aiden owned and dig until she found every last shred of dirt that she could smear him with in court. 

Heavy footsteps thundered from above them--Kisuke’s kids roughhousing. Their muffled voices were filled with laughter and childish indignation. 

She then remembered the consequences if she got--breaking and entering would cause them to lose everything. He had already lost his credit as a scientist when they had first tried to take the wind out of Aizen’s sails. 

“Have you been able to hack into the H.M. servers lately? Or found any of the hidden ones?”

“If I had I would have told you.”

“Sly fucking bastard,” she muttered, helping Kisuke slide the bag and it's disappointing contents back into its holding block. 

“I don't think I'm that bad,” Kisuke joked, once again trying to make light of a serious situation out loud while his mind calculated all the possible scenarios that could end badly for them all. 

“I wasn't talking about you this time.”

Yoruichi laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to find the words to try and make this seem better. Just as she had formulated a proper consolation her phone chirped happily with the tune of “Stayin Alive” by the Bee Gees. Soi Fon. 

She answered it and they made their way upstairs--where cell reception was better and Kisuke could wholeheartedly wrangle his own kids. 

Even as they moved on with their lives, trying to grasp onto some semblance of normality--the monster in the basement still lurked in their thoughts. Yoruichi could feel the air in the city changing as more and more of Aizen’s deception leaked into its infrastructure. How many more of those things were out there? When would those creatures become exposed to the public? Even if, would they ever be able to pin the blame on Aizen? 

She was tired of this waiting game.


	3. ----------------------------------------Part III:cor ad cor loquitur (I)------------------------------------

It was shortly after that rainy day when Rukia noticed a change in the air. A new scent had started to appear around their corner of the city--something wild and familiar to her. It was the smell of mud, sakura petals, and the green of the woods early in the morning. Ichigo caught whiff of it and had stiffened but she had quickly reassured him that it wasn’t another monster--in her limited amount of experience, they preferred either one of two extremes; the inner city or the deepest part of the woods. 

“You should be careful on your way back,” advised Uryu them one day, balancing precariously on the chain length fence that ran around the perimeter of the park. He looked worriedly around, ears twitching. “I’ve heard that there’s a wild dog loose in the neighborhood. Rumor has it that it came down from a mountain region and has been seen attacking housepets.”

Orihime trembled and pressed closer to Tatsuki, “Scary. Why would a dog want to do that? There are plenty of humans that would take one in so they wouldn’t have to do that.”

Rukia looked away and held her tongue as Tatsuki answered, “They don’t know any better. Those wild animals are savages--completely ruled by their instincts.”

“Not everyone wants to be a pet,” Ichigo snapped, irritatedly ripping up the grass. “And humans aren’t always the best thing to be around. They can be just as savage as those wild animals. Sometimes even worse.”

They were all silent at his observation, the setting sun transitioning the world from a deep red to a purple twilight. Uryu finally conceded, “Even if that is true, I would still recommend keeping an eye out. A wild dog is still a wild dog despite its circumstances--it will attack first and have you for dinner if it gets the chance.”

In the end, Chad volunteered to walk Tatsuki and Orihime home while Ichigo and Rukia took their usual roundabout walk. He grumbled, kicking a stone, “Who does Ishida think he is, huh? Trying to act all high and mighty just because he thinks he knows better…”

While Ichigo muttered and complained, Rukia looked up at the buildings looming around them. They were uniform and straight edged in design, pressing in around the two cats as they journeyed into the maze of the city. Behind them, she could hear the whisper of trees in the park and the rustling of the open expanse of the field; the subtle rattling of the chain fence cut through the serenity. For the first time since she had become a pseudo-member of the family, Rukia longed for the freedom of the woods and the nip of cold in her lungs from being at a high altitude. The sameness around her was suddenly too stifling, too artificial.

A thought turned around and around in her head, a mantra she had thought she had eradicated: I don’t belong here. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong here. 

Ichigo slowed down and took notice of Rukia’s unusual silence, her head bent in deep thought. He brushed against her, drawing her out of wherever she was getting lost in. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” she answered, a little too loudly. Rukia’s tail shot up and her ears perked up as she hopped a few paces ahead of him. “Last one to the clinic has to sleep in the kitchen!”

“Hey! Wait a minute!” Ichigo ran after her. “Get back here!”  
\------------------------  
Ichigo could feel a change in the air surrounding Rukia. She still behaved the same--infuriatingly--but her reactions felt forced. Sometimes it would seem that she would cling to his little family, devouring every moment of connection between them. When he tried to bring up the subject, she would brush him off or dash away like it was all some fun game. 

“What is going on in that crazy she-cat’s head?” he muttered while practicing the fighting stances she had taught him.

Ichigo had tried to corner her that morning, but when he had woken up his sisters had informed him that Rukia was at Orihime’s house for the day and probably wouldn’t be back until late that night. He had seethed at her avoidance for a while, considering marching over there and figuring out this stupidity once and for all. Instead, he had marched his tail to the park to burn off some steam. 

This whole mess had started when they caught whiff of that foreign scent--it had seemed to trigger something inside of Rukia. He believed her when she told him it wasn’t a monster but--what if it wasn’t a monster for him? What if it was her own monster? There was something she was hiding from him, some key piece to this puzzle that he was waiting for her to reveal. Ichigo had a deep seated feeling that whatever Rukia was keeping to herself was driving a wedge between the life she had begun invested in since that fateful night.

He contemplated what he could do to at least make her more comfortable with his family, to make her realize that she was a part of that family now. Ichigo wasn’t that good with sentimental speeches but he figured he could at least try in order to help Rukia. Because she was--well, she was--(what was she to him? Savior? Friend? Partner? He didn’t know). 

Despite his inability to place a label on the bond they shared, Ichigo knew that he would do anything to make Rukia happy again and he would do anything ease her anxiety.

Ichigo finished his training by climbing up one of the tall oaks that grew close to the edge of the park. He balanced in the crook of a branch and sat still as he listened to the duality of the world around him--the cars and the smog of the city, the chirping of cicadas and the taste of rain on the wind.  
\------------------------  
She was getting too accustomed to this pampered pet life. She was loving this life too much. She craved this familialism despite the pain it caused--that same pain that reminded her why she didn’t deserve any of this. 

Rukia was a blight. A curse. They didn’t need her around to ruin everything the way she always--always, inevitably--did. 

She rolled her shoulders, stretched her spine. No aches or grinding bones--she was completely healed from the attack. 

There was nothing stopping her from leaving. 

Rukia paced back and forth, images of the family that had allowed her a place in their home racing through her mind. She thought of the families that had done so before them. The tragedies that had befallen them beating out all the happy, shining moments. She did not want the same fate to occur to Yoruichi, Soifon, Isshin, Yuzu, Karin, and--and Ichigo. Rukia savored their names, rolling them around in her head, a purr frozen in her throat just thinking about them. 

They were wonderful, but she couldn't keep them. 

The streetlamp above her flickered. Rukia looked around herself in surprise. Apparently, she had been wandering around the area all day and she hadn't noticed the passing of time. 

She was still close enough that she could turn back around. 

Instead, with a determined gait, Rukia bounded off towards the outskirts of Karakura. She did not look back.  
\------------------------  
In a blackened alleyway not too far away, a large figure sniffed the air. It's snout parted at the seams of its lips, the faintest gleam of white fangs popping out. A smaller, nimbler creature stepped distastefully over the trash that littered the ground, weaving around the taller one’s legs.

“Rukia,” the large shadow rumbled, drawing in one deep breath as the quiet wind changed course. A feral grin split across its broad face, muddy eyes gleaming with joy.

“Found ya, lil’ sis.”  
\------------------------  
By all accounts, Uryu should have been at home, eating a dinner of expensive salmon and curling up afterwards for a nap in the large recliner in the den, but--in a twist of fate--he found himself restless and wandering along the darkened pathways of Karakura. 

He had just turned a corner, considering heading home when a howl pierced through the night. It was deep and clear and made the fur along his spine stand on end. It was a howl that reminded him of the untamed of nightmares with snapping jaws and bloodstained fur and rabid snarls. That howl--he knew--was the signal of the start of a hunt, the prey locked in the sights of the predator. 

Uryu moved without thinking, heading towards the source of the death call. He prayed that it was some lower being that was close to being consumed--like a bird or a wayward rabbit--and not some poor, defenseless pet. 

Each shadow seemed to morph into sinister outlines as he raced along the barren streets. The howling continued, reverberating along the empty spaces between the buildings. 

Uryu paused as he landed on the edge of a high wall. Below him was one of the busier roads during the day, but at night it was as much of a wasteland as the rest of the area. He prepared to jump down and continue on his search when a quick shadow flickered in the distance. His claws slid out in alarm, expecting the danger to make itself known.

As it drew nearer and nearer, he recognized the gradient pelt of Rukia. Her ears were flat against her skull, her thick pelt pressed to her sides by her speed. For a cat with such short legs, Uryu was surprised by how fast she was moving. 

Just as he was about to confront her as she passed him, another cry rose up--this one frighteningly close.

A large dog appeared from the direction Rukia had come from. As it dashed between between the pools of light, a striped fur pattern rippled over its compact, muscled frame. Its face was split into a terrible smile, tongue lolling out of the corner of its mouth, its eyes trained on Rukia’s retreating form.

Before Ishida could blink, the beast of a dog gave one final leap, landing in front of Rukia and blocking her path. She skidded to a halt, fur puffed up in alarm. She hissed and swiped her claws across the air in warning.

The dog loomed over her, panting. Rukia backed away, mouth moving as she rapidly snapped something at the larger animal-- Ishida was still too far away to make out the words.

Rukia froze abruptly, eyes going wide and she turned away from the threat in front of her.

The wind changed and Uryu caught a scent that he hadn’t noticed before. It was filled with the sweetness of sakuras and the coppery scent of blood. 

A cat stood a ways behind her-- apparently having slipped into the scene unnoticed. A tall Siamese tom with black points was coolly surveying the two in front of him.

For a second, Uryu hoped the other tom was there to help save Rukia. And if he also jumped down there then three cats against one rabid dog had a better chance of survival.

But then Rukia crouched to the ground, looking even more petrified than she had been in front of the lone dog. The tom cat stepped closer to her, grey eyes piercing her down into the pavement. Uryu silently hopped down, sticking to the base of the wall so he wouldn't be spotted.

“...no more running away, Rukia,” the dog rumbled in a deep baritone, casually placing a paw on top of her tail. His jaws split open over the back of her neck.

Uryu shot forward without thinking. He rammed his entire body against the dog’s head, twisting around and snatching the edge of his pricked ears between sharp teeth. The dog toppled to the side, snarling, “ What the fuck--? Who are you?”

Uryu sprang back, standing protectively near Rukia. She stared up at him in confusion, “Uryu?”

“I’m Uryu Ishida. Her friend,” he announced, standing tall and meeting the dog’s dark brown gaze head on. “And aside from that, you attacked a defenseless she-cat. It would be against my code of honor to let such an infraction occur.”

“Defenseless?” the dog sneered, still pissed off after being attacked. “I'll show you defenseless, you bug eyed creep.”

He leapt at Uryu with fangs bared, catching the tom around his middle. He shook him viciously, like a chew toy. Rukia howled at them, “Stop! Wait a minute--”

The other tom blocked her path as she tried to stop the one-sided fight. He spoke to her as if the brutal assault wasn't happening behind his back. 

“Rukia,” the tom began, speaking in an even monotone. “We’ve come to take you home.”

“Home?!” Rukia shouted, hyperventilating. “Big brother, you don't understand--”

Uryu snarled and shrieked, blood dribbling down the side of his mouth as the dog’s hold tightened--crushing him in a vice like grip filled with barbed teeth. His bones popped and protested against the pressure.

“You belong in the forest,” her brother insisted, ears not even twitching in sympathy. 

Rukia shook her head, repeating, “You don't understand. I won't go home. Please, stop this!”

She looked up at him pleadingly, “Byakuya, please. He's my friend. Just--lets talk, okay? Stop hurting him and we’ll talk.”

Byakuya gave her a measured look before ordering over his shoulder, “Renji, release him.”

Renji obediently dropped Uryu to the ground. He rolled onto his paws and struggled to stand up, growling through gritted death, “You damned savages.”

“It's time,” Byakuya said. “You've been away for nearly a year now--much longer than what you originally requested. We started to grow concerned when you didn't send any type of correspondence to explain your absence.”

“Yeah, Ru-ru. What's up with that? We didn't hear shit from you for months--I was starting to think one of those monster fucks got a hold of you. You coulda at least dropped by once to let us know you were alive. Or sent a message or something,” Renji ranted, circling aggressively around them. He snarled at Uryu’s struggling form as he passed, irritated that the housepet was still there.

“I know. I should have sent a message, but I got a bit distracted,” Rukia said, edging closer to Uryu to protect him for Renji’s anger. “I apologize for inconveniencing you with this trip.”

“What--that’s not what--” Renji’s voice cut off into a chainsaw growl that eventually grew into a shortfrustrated howl. Uryu flinched away from the sound, glaring up at the tiger striped dog.  
\------------------------  
Ichigo had decided to take a roundabout path home. It was not because he was hoping to run into Rukia. Not at all. He was just in the mood to enjoy the summer night air and cool down after a few hours of training. 

He was walking along the shadows of a wall when he heard a low howl rumble from further down the way. Images of the monster flashed through his mind and his healed wounds ached like phantoms under his fur. But as he thought it over, the sound he heard was more aggravated, not a mindless shriek of hunger and desperation.

Not wanting to stand in the way of a pissed off dog (did it once--never again), Ichigo made a beeline up the wall. Most animals tended to avoid roadways so he figured he should be fine continuing his stroll down there. 

Ichigo landed--the roadway making a curve around him, walls high on both sides. 

He could hear faint, angry growls and mutterings coming from around the bend. Ichigo warily owned his mouth to scent the air, almost gagging on the overpowering scent of mud and sakura. There was a hint of blood mixed into the stench that set him even more on edge. 

From where he was, he couldn't tell if the one bleeding was a pet or a stray or a lesser creature. Ichigo--cursing himself for his curiosity--thought about creeping closer to check out the situation. 

Before he could talk himself out of running home, Ichigo thought about what Rukia would do in this situation. 

Ichigo went towards the source of the echoing voices, claws already unsheathed. 

The sight before him was not one he had expected. A large Kai dog loomed over the small gathering with a long-limbed tom dominating the space with his aura. Uryu was crouched, bristling and bleeding against the pavement at the dog’s feet. At the center of all of this was Rukia, staring at him in shock with her jeweled eyes. 

“Ichigo…” she whispered, silently pleading for him to leave. 

He bared his fangs and hissed at the two assailants, “Let them go!”

“Who the fuck are you?” the Kai dog asked rudely, stalking over to stand over Ichigo. “You know this housepet as well, Rukia?”

Rukia was silent, unsure how to answer. Ichigo answered for her, “ Of course we know each other. We both belong to the same human. She’s family.”

Even though those words made Rukia want to collapse with relief, she instantly knew those were the wrong words to tell to the already irate dog.

Renji shoved his muzzle in Ichigo’s face. “You presumptuous piece of--”

“Renji, no!” she yowled, launching herself forward.

Before he could snap his jaws around Ichigo’s neck, he dodged the blow and raked his claws along Renji’s chin. Renji laughed at the pitiful hit, “You really think a housepet can make me bl--”

He cut off abruptly when he felt a belated sting, the wound starting to well and clot the fur around it with blood. His brow twitched in irritation, lip curling up on one side. At a blinding speed he lifted a massive, curl clawed paw and brought it down on the back of Ichigo’s skull. 

Before he could unleash another assault at Ichigo, Rukia darted around his long legs to crouch over her stunned friend. She snarled up at her oldest friend, “I told you to stop this! I asked for us to talk and you aren't listening! The both of you are as pigheaded as ever!”

Renji took a step back, intimidated by the passionate fire in her eyes. Byakuya’s expression shifted from cool indifference to frosty irritation as he looked at the two of them. He couldn't resist a curved barb, “It's insulting how a mere housepet was able to wound you, Renji. Perhaps you should look into training with the cubs or finding a human willing to take you in. A wild dog unable to combat someone of this caliber and rank is pathetic.”

“Brother!” Rukia admonished, while Ichigo tried to worm his way out from underneath her. 

The damage had already been done. Renji, enraged by Byakuya’s insult, snapped Rukia around her middle and tossed her to the side. He rained down onto Ichigo a barrage of snaps and hits that the cat returned with the same intense ferocity. 

“No!” Uryu struggled to jump into the fray. Byakuya lashed out a back leg, catching him by the chin and knocking him back down.

Rukia righted herself and rushed to defend Ichigo, latching her teeth into one of Renji’s back legs. He bit down on Ichigo’s tail. Shrieking, Ichigo boxed Renji’s ears in, shredding his scarred ears even further. 

Renji threw him aside, his smaller body slamming against the concrete wall. Before Renji could continue his assault, Rukia determinedly dragging behind him as she refused to let go, Byakuya strolled in between them. He looked down his nose at Ichigo.

“Rukia,” he started, considering his words carefully. “Do you truly care about this housepet?”

Uryu pressed his face into the ground, muttering to himself, “What about me? What am I, chopped liver?”

They all ignored his comment. 

Byakuya lashed out with his paw turned upwards, halting the blow to press his claws against Ichigo’s throat and chin, forcing him to look up. He curved the thorny points against his rapidly beating pulse, piercing the skin enough to draw thin dribbles of blood to the surface. Rukia came to stand beside him, giving Ichigo a warning look to keep him quiet. She lifted her own trembling paw, gently laying it on top of her brother’s outstretched leg, “Yes, I do.”

“What a pity,” murmured Byakuya, digging his claws in further before slowly dropping his hold. Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of reveling in his luck, Ichigo shook himself and angrily said, “What sort of shitty older brother pulls a stunt like this, huh? You're supposed to protect little siblings, jackass, not traumatize them.”

Renji, who was once again pacing, snarled at the young cat’s disrespectful tone. How dare he backtalk Byakuya? It was as if he didn't know who he was. 

Byakuya slitted his eyes at the orange tom. Ichigo boldly glared back, pressing his pelt close to Rukia’s. For a second they all held their breath, expecting the tension to break with violence once again. 

Finally, Byakuya turned away, addressing his sister, “Rukia, do you wish to remain as a...housepet for the time being?”

Rukia licked her lips before answering him, “Yes, brother. Just for a little while longer.”

Byakuya nodded briskly. “Then I must be shown where you will be staying. I cannot allow you to disappear for such a length of time again without knowing where you are.”

“You're letting her stay?” Renji asked incredulously.

“You're coming to my house?” Ichigo asked, affronted by the idea.

Rukia’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as she bowed her head and murmured, choked up, “Thank you- brother!” If Byakuya were not as stiff and formal as he always was, she would have butted her head against his chest in gratitude, instead she pressed her face against Ichigo’s neck.  
\------------------------  
Uryu dug his claws into the swaying surface he found himself on. Foul smelling fur pressed against his nose, the red and black strands irritating him enough to draw out a couple of sneezes. His grip tightened even more and the steed below him snapped, “Hey, watch the claws.”

“Oh? Am I hurting you? How awful,” Uryu said sarcastically. “It’s not as if I haven't just been needlessly attacked by a brute and I don't feel the urge to be reacquainted with the ground once again.”

Renji was silent for a few seconds, a growl rumbling in his throat. “Look I said I was sorry for that.”

“Apology still not accepted.”

“Yeah, yeah I heard you the first time,” Renji grumbled, slowing down his pace into a more even gait so as not to jostle Uryu’s injuries. “You housepets are so fucking sensitive. I wasn’t even going all out on ya--where I come from that’s just playin’ or a warning. Hell, I know a lot who would use that as a greeting.”

“Barbaric,” Uryu sniffed. “I’d hate to go where you come from.”

Renji let out a barking laugh, thinking about the small house cat in one of the inner city alleyways, fighting off rats and cats and dogs bigger than him. Not to mention the new addition of the monsters. “You wouldn’t last an hour there, housepet.”

Uryu bristled, irritated that Renji used the word like an insult. It bothered him that this mongrel thought that a lawless, instinct ruled worldview was better than the beneficial bond that could form between humans and animals as well as the camaraderie that could form amongst animals once competition for resources was eliminated. Since he knew any logical arguments about the topic would go over Renji’s empty head, he instead kept his mouth shut and looked around to see how much farther they had until they were at Ichigo’s place. 

Framed between Renji’s pricked ears, he could see Ichigo limping along behind Rukia and Byakuya. Occasionally, Rukia would try to slow down to include Ichigo, but every time Byakuya would slow down as well forcing her to keep pace with him and keep Ichigo to the back.

Uryu was sure he'd find the situation much funnier if Rukia’s...friends weren't psychopaths. And also if he weren't in pain because of said psychopaths. 

It would be entertaining to see these interactions unfold further as their relationship progressed (Uryu may have slightly bad eyesight but he wasn't blind to how close the two were). It was too bad he also swore to himself that he was going to stay as far away from these mongrel bastards as possible. He would not be caught in such a ridiculous situation again.  
\------------------------  
Ichigo glared out the window, Byakuya and Renji’s gleaming eyes the only part he could see of them in the darkness. “So, those are your brothers.” 

Rukia sighed, flopping bonelessly onto the ground. “Yeah, they are.”

“...”

Rukia waited for him to say it out loud. Or ask her the questions that had simply complicated answers. 

Ichigo turned to look at her, her face planted onto the floor, shoulders tense as she waited for whatever outlash he wanted to dole out towards her. He scowled, “Well, at least now I know where you get your high and mighty attitude from. That Byakuya acts like he's some sort of noble with a stick rammed up his ass.”

Rukia sprang up, her face hot as she defended her brother. “He does not! My brother just has class unlike some mammals I could mention!”

The two dissolved into the familiar territory of bickering. Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu poked their heads out from around the open doorway, questioning what to do about all the ruckus they were making as well as what to do about the wild animals camped out in their backyard. 

Eventually Isshin sighed, herding his daughters upstairs. Monsters, wild animals, budding romance and newly forged friendships--he hadn't seen this much chaos happening since he first met Masaki.  
\------------------------  
Renji and Chad were wrestling in the park a few days later, and, in a surprising turn of events, Tatsuki was winning in the mock fight. 

Byakuya had positioned himself high above the scuffle in a tree. He looked close to having an aneurysm as he pretended not to notice any of the housepets surrounding him. 

Lying in the shade of a small bush, Ichigo felt Rukia rest her chin on his back, her purr vibrating in his bones and weaving its way into his own throat. 

“They’re getting along better than I thought they would,” she whispered conspiratorially. 

“Your brothers tried to kill Uryu…”

“But they didn't! And that's better than what I thought would happen!” she insisted.

“What did you think would happen? Mass murder?” Ichigo said the last part jokingly, expecting her to laugh.

“...”

“Holy shit, you really thought they were gonna kill all of us? What the fuck? Why would you think that?”

Rukia stretched out a paw over him, turning onto her side. She quietly admitted, “Where I come from that sort of thing is just how it is. Family is built on the blood you're willing to shed for each other. Anyone not in your pack is just another piece of prey to take down.”

Ichigo was quiet for a few seconds, absorbing that piece of brutal honesty and piecing it into his image of Rukia. In the scuffle, Tatsuki had managed to clamor onto Renji’s back and was biting into the nape of his neck. He flipped onto his back, throwing her off while he lashed out with his back legs to push Chad away when the larger dog tried to pin him down. 

“That explains how you're so good at fighting,” he said. “Are all wild animals that strong?”

“Some are stronger than Renji and me,” she answered. “My big brother is considered one of the strongest in the forest we lived in--but even then I heard about some from higher up the mountain who were almost gods of battle with how they fought.”

“Huh,” Ichigo rested his head on his paws. “Gotta admit it, it's kind of hard to picture you as a coldblooded wildcat.”

Rukia was quiet this time, nervously trying to get comfortable. She carefully confided to him, “I wasn't always a wildcat. First I was a stray, then I went to the forest with Renji and…”

Went feral. She doesn't say that, but she knows he knows. He's smart and he understands her too well by now. 

“...then I became a housepet for a little while.” The words falling from her mouth felt like knives were piercing through her heart, her mind turning black as she blocked the images of that time of her life. “And then I was a stray again and now I’m with you.”

Her face heated up when she realized how her statement could be interpreted, hurriedly adding, “And your family. Now I'm with you and your family.”

Orihime reared up onto her hind legs and cheered Tatsuki on as the small dog used Chad as a jumping off point to cannonball into Renji’s face. Ichigo and Rukia both laughed at the utterly perplexed look on Renji’s face as he was slammed back into the ground.

Byakuya, from his perch, continued to look unamused by their antics. 

“Do you miss it?” he asked once he had caught his breath. 

“Miss what?” she was still giggling, albeit a bit nervously. 

“Being in the forest. Not having to be caged in by the city. Hunting. Fighting. Being free.” Ichigo genuinely sounded curious. 

“Sometimes I miss the good parts,” Rukia answered as honestly as she could. “I miss seeing the stars around the moon. I miss how winter was--beautiful and deadly. And sometimes I even miss my brothers, but…”

Ichigo lifted his head to watch her face twist into a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions. “Its nice, y’know? To not have to be on guard all the time and to have someone else take care of you.”

He nodded and said, “Yeah, I guess it is, but…” 

Now that he was the one hesitating, Rukia prompted him to continue, reaching out with her paw to nudge his ear. “The wild still calls you, right? Is it worth ignoring just for safety?”

Rukia couldn't think of an answer to that.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!


End file.
